Picture book set in a historical period of time

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Picture book set in a historical period of time

Hi! I wonder if any of you could help. I'm writing a picture book story that unfolds in the Maya Empire. How accurate do I have to be about traditions, customs and culture? Like I said it is completely fiction. My story is a she-hero, which was not very likely in the Mayan society. As a matter of fact, she will become a ruler which was also not likely. What do you think? Is it okay to fictionalize?

Re: Picture book set in a historical period of time

If it's completely fiction, why not make the story unfold in the Maifu Empire? As in, why not just make it all fiction? The non-fiction side of it won't have much value in terms of learning/general knowledge if it's not accurate, so why not just have some fun and make it all fiction? With such a strong emphasis on non-fiction right now I would imagine teachers/librarians would be looking carefully to see if the facts regarding customs and culture were correct so it might work against you. The other option is to make it factually correct... and then you might have an easier time selling it too, but it sounds like you'd have to change your storyline.

Re: Picture book set in a historical period of time

You could write your story about people who lived in the "lost city" recently found in the Honduran jungle. Scientists know next to nothing about these people so you could invent an entire culture for them: